Runaway Princess
by MistressLeia24
Summary: Seven years ago, they thought they had saved the world. They thought they were done being heroes; done with the fighting. Boy, were they wrong. With a wedding on the horizon, a fleeing princess, and old enemies returning, peace seems so far away. GuyXNata
1. Prologue

**Runaway Princess**

_Baticul Castle, 7 years after Van's defeat…_

Not one sound could be heard throughout the eerily quiet halls of Baticul Castle; which was unusual considering the amount of guards and servants taking up residence there. Usually there was at least one drunken guard who managed to get into the liquor cabinet and took one swig too many of the palace's old wine bottles. This usually ended in a few of said guard's companion angrily leading him off to the sleeping quarters after he either tripped over a suit of armor or stepped on Cecilia's, Princess Natalia's new kitten, tail.

But tonight, all was quiet in the hallways. The liquor cabinet's newly unpicked lock remained fastened around the cold metal handles, seemingly untouched. The customary quiet gossip among the maids fell onto silent ears as each one of the girls appeared in a deep, almost unbreakable sleep.

The two stationary sentries stationed right at the bottom of the spiral stairwell leading to Princess Natalia's chambers were surprisingly slumped against the newly repainted wall adjacent to their supposed position. Their swords were left ungracefully clattered in a pile off to their right, each still having their full armor on.

On any other night every single lookout would be on high alert at this particular time because of the growing tensions between Malkuth and Kimlascan forces over the prospering land of Engeve. But tonight, everyone appeared to be forcefully brought to slumber.

If you strained your ears to listen over the noisy snores and soft chimes of the central clock, you could hear one figure still awake and shuffling about one of the upper chambers. The sound of high-heeled boots scrapping against age old wooden floors and soft thuds of clothes hitting the floor assured that some indeed was up past Baticul's new curfew hour, twelve o'clock.

Princess Natalia, soon to be Queen Natalia, was seated on the floor in front of her ivory, regal wardrobe, her legs tucked under her petite form as she dug through one of the bottom drawers. Extravagant robes and dresses were tossed about, landing in ungraceful heaps on the velvet rug covering her room, seemingly unimportant and uncared for.

The golden-haired archer quietly muttered to herself as she threw another red dress to the side, still searching for something that could not be found.

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? No… That's not it. Where could that maid have put it?" she mumbled, slamming the near empty drawer shut and bustling over to her walk-in closet.

Grabbing the only source of light, which was a small candle set on a golden holder by her nightstand, the princess silently entered her closet. The dim light from the flickering flame fell on the sleeping ball of white fur curled up on her velvety throne. A pair of bright, yellow cat eyes slowly looked up at Natalia, having been awakened by the click of the door closing.

"Meow?" was Cecilia's quiet response to her mistress' surprise visit.

"Shhh," Natalia hissed lovingly, putting one of her gloved fingers to her fair to show the cat to keep silent. "Keep quiet, Cecilia and go back to sleep."

Knowing the princess better than the oldest guards living in the castle, the small kitten knew something was amiss by the look of fear and shame present in her owner's eyes and the way her sheer golden night gown was wrinkled around her legs. Wrinkles were against Natalia's own morals, whether in be night wear that no one but her maids would see her in or the intricate robes she dawned for her suitors.

"Meow?" Cecilia questioned again, softly padding her cushioned bed as she arched her back to stretch. Quietly, the cat leaped to the ground and sauntered over to Natalia, her prodding eyes never leaving her face as the archer dug through one shelves lining the wall.

"Go back to sleep, baby," Natalia reassured the kitten, taking a quick minute to stroke her back affectionately. In a flash, the soon-to-be Queen returned to her work.

Not quite convinced that her mistress was fine yet, Cecilia leaned back on her back legs and plopped down on the tan carpet only present in the closet.

Inwardly groaning at her cat's stubbornness, the princess simply decided to ignore the cat and return to her work. Tucking a strand of her shoulder-length golden curl behind her ear, Natalia finally saw what she had been searching for the past thirty minutes.

A set of blue and white, neatly folded archer clothes were tucked in the way back corner of the shelf, far from anyone's questioned gaze. The tarnished clothes looked old and seemed to be mended in several places over the years due to their age, but other than that they were brilliant.

"Aha!" Natalia shouted, immediately cursing herself for being loud as she dug out her treasure. "Found you."

Turning away from the puzzled kitten, Natalia quickly tip-toed over the floor and to her queen-sized canopy bed where a large rucksack, a folded letter, and a newly cleaned maid's outfit were already present. The princess stuffed the clothes inside the leather rucksack which already contained an undersized bundle of food and flask of water, a sturdy bow, a map, and a plume of arrows.

Her heart was racing as she glanced at the clock on her opposite wall. 12:30… Natalia fumbled with the straps of the rucksack, eventually tightening it.

_Okay, Natalia, you have around an hour before people start waking up, _she thought to herself, trying to calm down. _You can do this. All you have to do is sneak out the front doors, down the steps, and out of Baticul before that time. Simple. _

The princess' whole body was shaking as she slipped out of night gown and into the maid's clothes she had managed to swipe when everyone else was out celebrating the New Year. It hadn't been that difficult to spike the champagne bottles, talk everyone into taking a sip, and make sure to get rid of the evidence. So far, her plan of running away was going marvelously well.

Now all she had to do was make sure no one caught her on the way out. People around Baticul knew her face too well and even in the maid's clothes they would recognize her. If anyone saw her leave she would be back inside the castle quicker than you could say "fonic artes."

Adjusting the black straps of the dress around her slim shoulders, Natalia dispersed any negative thoughts and slipped into her matching black high-heeled shoes.

Cecilia unhurriedly padded into the room, a look of confusion flashing across her face when she saw her mistress in maid's clothing. "Meow?"

Natalia's head shot up from smoothing out her skirt at her kitten's voice. Guilt glazed over her pale grey eyes for a quick second at the thought of what she was doing and what she was leaving behind, but it was dismissed before she got too deep into thinking.

"It's for the best," she whispered to herself. "I would only cause pain if I stayed any longer." Glancing at Cecilia, she added, "D-Don't worry, baby. Mommy's just gonna take a little trip and then she'll be right back." Her heart sank at the complete lie but she knew well enough not to say what she was doing out loud for fear of someone overhearing everything.

The kitten seemed satisfied with that answer as she ambled back to her bed, intent on catching up on her late-night dreaming of cat nip.

Natalia let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Even if it was just a cat, she still didn't want anyone else to see her leave. She grabbed the rucksack off the bed and scoped up the letter sitting beside it. The letter was meant for her father, the King, and explained that it was not his fault or anyone else's she was leaving; it was her own.

Shutting her bedroom door behind her and not knowing if she would see Cecilia again, Natalia swiftly ran down the stairwell, making sure that the guards were still knocked out before continuing.

Hallway after hallway whirled past her, not a sound escaping from any of the knocked out guards. Questions flew past her conscious, as if interrogating her on why she was doing something so stupid. What if she was captured by Malkuth forces on her escape and only made things worse? What if she couldn't escape? What if her father woke up and found out what she was doing? How would she face her family and friends knowing that she had abandoned them? What if she never saw any of this again and died before she reached the desert?

Her mind was in turmoil when she reached the grand entrance hall, just paces away from her father's sleeping quarters. The short letters was clutched tightly in her hand, her knuckles going white from her grip on it.

"I-It's for the best," she choked out, tears threatening to run down her slightly flushed cheeks. "I-I-It really is."

Taking an arrow from the confounds of her knapsack, Natalia twirled the silver head in her hand and let the feathery end tickle her nose, much like her mentor did to her when she was little and just learning. How she longed for those days…

Natalia quickly shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts; she needed to be focused for her escape. Not everything would go this smoothly, that she knew.

Shaking with anxiety, the archer placed the letter securely on the door with her hand while her other one drew back, still holding the arrow. In a flash, her hand was brought off the door and the arrow pinned the letter in place.

A curvy 'N' was detailed in fine lettering on the outer edge of the letter, hiding its secrets from passing eyes. Natalia's signature.

No doubt the king would be furious and so would her friends for that matter. There was no telling how the people would take it and she had a feeling that she would be the gossip of the maids for some time now.

But there was no turning back now. She had made up her mind long ago and was going to keep it that way. …No matter how much it hurt.

A single tear escaped from her control and slid down her cheek. It quivered as it hung from the very edge of her chin, eventually dropping off and hitting the tiled floor without a sound.

"I'm sorry," the golden-haired female whispered, hoping that her words would reach everyone's ears.

Turning away from the door and focusing her mind on her goal, Natalia ran to the door. The silver handle which usually felt welcoming was cold underneath her touch. It was as if the door itself was begging her not to depart as she tugged it open, seemingly heavier than usual.

Or maybe it was just her heart and mind imagining things.

Natalia slowly closed the door behind her; glad that she hadn't woken anyone and afraid of the unknown path ahead. Not even in her wildest dreams would she picture herself doing something like this.

And yet here she was.

An unknown pressure was suddenly applied to her heart and Natalia was sure that her heart itself was breaking. Breaking for her now destroyed future and the things she was leaving behind. The things she loved.

Breaking into a spring, the princess ran across the courtyard, determined to get out of this place. The female used the back of her black sleeve to wipe away the forming tears that dared to blur her vision.

She needed her mind focused.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, this time unable to stop herself from crying. "I'm so, so sorry."

Among the late night owls perched atop the castle's roof watching the princess flee, was one eerie female figure. She was dawned in a black and white tattered dress with haunting red eyes observing Natalia's every movement, unblinking. Her blonde-white hair was pinned up but one patch refused to be captured and instead fell in the gaze of her right eye. A power unknown to many surrounded her, daring anyone to even glance her way let alone challenge her directly.

A chilling laugh escaped her throat, skittering her owl companion.

"Well, well, well," the female murmured, her voice strangely seductive. "The little princess is running away from home. I didn't think she would have the guts to do something like that. All though I do admit that I could do without the crying."

Her blood red eyes tracked Natalia until she got the elevator. At this point, the female figure gave up watching her and turned her sight on the full moon shining in the night sky.

She let out a small chuckle.

"All is going according to plan…"


	2. Chapter 1: Invite or Not?

**Runaway Princess**

**A/N: It is finally done! You do not know how long this took me! My longest chapter ever! In this little chapter, you'll be introduced to two villans, find out more about Natalia's "condition", get a little GuyXNat fluff there at the end, and see where Luke's life is heading. Please excuse any spelling errors for I am still looking for a beta reader. I'm not a robot people! I can't sit here all day and look through ten pages of stuff (alhtough I do try) and find every single mistake!**

**I would like to give a big thank-you to all of the reviewers! Give a big round of applause to Ori**,** mitzidelima, TechNomaNcer28, Kitty-Katz-Katz, Culinaromancer, gamgirl244, and shadowneko003. Everyone else...envy them! Mint chocolate chip ice cream to you all! And thank you!! I hope you enjoy!**

_Fon Fabre's Manor, 5 o'clock a.m… _

* * *

_Dear Guy…_

_Hey! How ya doing? Me? I'm doing fine. No abnormal headaches or anything that isn't caused by the usual stress. Tear's good too. Oh, by the way, did I tell you we're getting married?_

* * *

_Dear Guy…_

_…I'm getting married. To Tear. Help me, man!! Rescue and/or kill me if possible! Don't let my freedom be taken from me!! –Insert hysterical sobbing here-_

* * *

_Dear Guy…_

_Tear's finally done it. She's forced me to propose to her with that hypnotic and yet somehow hot (if you tell her I wrote that, I'll deny it) stare of hers. She's finally worn me done. She's wears the ring and I get the collar and leash. It took four years but she won. …So you wanna come to the wedding? _

* * *

_Dear Guy…_

_Getting married. Tear. Baticul. Two weeks. See ya there._

* * *

_Dear __Guy…_

_I once knew what blissful freedom was. What not being tied down was. What not coming into your room late at night to a pair of glaring blue eyes. How quickly things change, my friend. How quickly they get swooped out from under our unsuspecting noses as they are given to a certain melodist. Everything I've ever known is gone. Like a raven cawing out to the heavens-_

"Hell no. That' doesn't sound like me at all…" Luke grumbled, tossing yet another small ball of crumpled paper over his shoulder and into the trash bin. A soft clunk of paper hitting against paper reached his ears, letting him know that he hit his target…unlike the other thirty-three times. Mieu had counted.

"Damn it," he muttered, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes in frustration. "It shouldn't be this hard…"

"What shouldn't be hard, Master?" squeaked the small blue creature seated at the edge of the mahogany table, his paws busy with smoothing out another crisp piece of paper before the redhead.

The cheagle had just recently to the Fabre's mansion, finally completing his duties with the Cheagle Elder and wanting nothing more than to go back to his Master's side. While Tear, who had resigned from the Oracle Knights three years ago to stay with Luke in Baticul, had welcomed his arrival with open arms, said hero had put the poor, yet happy despite Tear's constant complaining for him, creature to work with helping him write out invitation to the rapidly approaching wedding.

So far, not an easy task.

"What?" the noble groaned as he got back to work, quill in hand.

Even with the fresh moonlight filtering through the window panes being his only source of light, Mieu could tell that his Master was exhausted. Bags under his bloodshot eyes, bright red hair uncombed, stifled yawns every four seconds, short temper… That last one was usually a common trait of the renowned hero, but his patience seemed especially short today. The short and disheveled black T-shirt and pair of baggy pants he was using as pajamas didn't enhance his appearance either.

"Master?" he piped up, blinking at the man. "Maybe you should get some sleep. Tear's gonna be really mad if you fall asleep during the rehearsal dinner again."

Ignoring Mieu, Luke cast a sleepy gaze around the messy and cluttered study. It wasn't just the area around the trash bin that seemed to be under the attack of botched letters; the whole study was under siege. A few even rested on the inside of the unused lampshade from when Luke had gotten bored and had decided to spend a few minutes seeing how many times his paper projectile could make it into the makeshift basket. Several dictionaries and thesaurus crowded their way around the edge of the large desk and served as his "wall of knowledge" as Romdas had called it when he had come to check up on his night-owl of a young master. (Really he had only put the books there so someone (mainly Tear or Romdas) wouldn't have a fit if they were to come in and see all of the empty inkwells he had used so far. He did not need another lecture on how the price of ink was high these days and he couldn't just sit down and use up ten or eleven of them whenever he pleased.)

The swordsman heaved a sigh at the thought of his new nickname the staff had given him. Night-owl… Although it did have a certain ring to it, it really wasn't his fault he couldn't fall asleep. …It was those damn nightmares that kept him awake. He shouldn't even be having those anymore. He should be having dreams about a certain melodist that had captured his thoughts in the waking world lately.

"Master?" Mieu chirped, seeing the perplexed look on the redhead's face and tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Snapping out of his haze, Luke's green eyes darted downward in surprise at the sudden interruption. Noticing Mieu, he gave a small shake of his head. "Just thinking…"

"About Tear?" the cheagle chimed happily, bouncing up and down on the desk as his master once again started another letter.

"To some extent," he mused, writing one sentence, rereading it, crushing the document into an identical sphere like the others, and hurling it to a random space in the room. Tear would no doubt nag him into cleaning up the room since several important friends and family members would be staying at the manor during the upcoming two weeks.

"What was wrong with that one, Master?"

"I spelled "Guy" wrong," Luke grumbled in response, dipping his quill in the ink and writing the proper heading to a letter on the new sheet of paper underneath the old.

"Oh… Well maybe some sleep would help you Master. Do you want me to wake Tear so she can put you to sleep with one of her fonic artes? They're sooo soothing. Surely, they'll help you."

Luke once again shook his head, causing some of his long red locks to flip in his face due to their lack of hair gel. "Nah let her sleep. She was up till midnight choosing what types of foods to serve at the dinner."

"Then why didn't you pick them, Master?"

"Because Tear wants everything to be perfect and if I decide on anything, it won't be perfect."

No truer statement had ever been said. Thanks to the masses of people wanting to book a wedding in the Tataroo Valley at nightfall, they either had to book the spot that was in three weeks at the time, wait two years for another opening, or hold the ceremony at some other church. Nonetheless, Tear and Natalia, who was Tear's maid-of-honor and supposedly in charge of making sure everything was perfect, were steadfast when it came to the location and, one week ago, they finally put down the money to book the spot…leaving just two more weeks to plan a full wedding. This meant a lot of last-minute scrambling, fast decisions, and madness about the manor and castle.

Personal invitations needed to be sent to Guy, Anise, Jade, Florian, Emperor Peony (because he threatened to cry if he didn't get a "special" invite), and Noelle while the rest of the guests were to receive simple fliers that hadn't been made yet. The announcement of the wedding also had to be made public (Natalia's department really) and restraining orders had to be drawn up to keep the so-called fans of the heroes far away on the date of the wedding. On top of all that, there were the dancing lessons, rehearsals, memorizing vows, getting dresses sewed and suits cleaned, carters to be picked, and all the other little details that for his life Luke couldn't remember.

Scratching the end of his nose with the feather tip of his quill, the swordsman muttered more to himself then to Mieu, "It would be utter insanity if I tried to juggle all that."

"Mieu?" the small monster questioned, cocking his head to the side in puzzlement. He would never get humans. Wouldn't someone's word be as good as any ceremony? Why did they have to have a huge wedding that just seemed to cause more stress than needed?

Blinking back to reality, Luke ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a good way to explain Tear's position."…That's just how girls are. The wedding has to go exactly as they pictured it otherwise it's a sign that their marriage will be a total disaster. …If you really want to know more about, ask Natalia sometime when you have five hours."

"Five hours?" the cheagle asked in slight disbelief. He had sat through Natalia's _four _hour lecture on mannerism, and at the time he didn't think that there could be a speech longer then that one.

"Yep. Guy can confirm it," he replied, examining the three sentence paragraph he had just written. A sudden growl escaped Luke's lips as he angrily threw the wadded-up paper ball against the wall and let his head collapse onto his folded arms in a defeated gesture. "I'm cursed with writing letters."

"Sleep would help, Master…" Mieu persisted, tapping the male on the head twice with his tiny paw in a supposedly comforting gesture.

Luke's head snapped up at the words, his half-lidded eyes glaring at Mieu. "I already told you! It's not that I don't _want _to sleep, it's that I _can't _sleep!" There was that shorter than usual temper.

"How do you know yet if you haven't tried, Master?" the ball of blue fur continued, refusing to give up and only succeeding in aggravating his Master even more. "Master, are you sure you don't want me to wake Tear?"

"I already told you, let her sleep," the noble rebuffed, settling his head on one of his propped up arms. This was going nowhere fast. "And I don't think even her fonic artes can resolve these nightmares…"

"What nightmares, Master?" Mieu questioned, now perplexed more than ever. His Master never mentioned anything about nightmares… Sure he did sometimes wake up screaming or in a cold sweat but Mieu thought that was normal human behavior for him. He had been doing every night since Akzeriuth collapsed. So far, they seemed to have gotten better due to Tear's nightly serenade for him to calm his nerves system.

Luke let out a long puff of air before delving back into his memories to try and recall the dream, head resting on his folded arms. It was a touchy subject for him. The hero of the world shouldn't be frightened of little things such as nightmares about death. He should be strong; not only for the newly reformed world, but for his wife-to-be as well.

He hadn't even told Tear about the nightmare playing through his mind at nights out of fear of putting even more stress on the melodist. Sure she was strong and tough, but even Luke doubted she could take one more matter to worry about. But was it really better to keep her in the dark and leave her to wonder as he woke up screaming in the middle of the night?

Luke honestly didn't know the answer.

Closing his eyes, the noble was once again drawn back to the ghastly images of his nightmare. It was just like when the group traveled to Ortion Cavern and he saw everything from inside Asch's mind; he was there but he wasn't there, there and he recalled no memories of having a similar experience.

Images of the charred, burning remains of the once grand homes passed behind his closed eyes; his mind's eye once again reliving the new horrific nightmare.

The piercing screams that sliced through the air along with the sound of blades clanging together as he ran through the inflamed town that eerily bared a strong resemblance to Baticul. He could never help though. His body, or whoever's body he was watching these chains of events from, just kept going forward, the plaza always within his gaze. Once and a while though, he would glance to side of the road to see a mauled corpse of a woman or child that would make his stomach churn with disgust.

Yet he kept on running, running away from the stench and death. All he could ever do was be helpless.

Just like in Akzeriuth….

People weren't supposed to be killed like this anymore. There was supposed to be peace after the world was saved. …Guess that was just wishful thinking on the heroes' part.

Smoke would always fill his nostrils in the exact same way every time when he reached the town's square, where the calamity always appeared to have originated.

And always, **always, **the same girl would be standing in the middle of the plaza, a blank expression plastered across her fair features.

Upon hearing his approach, she would turn her head to the side to gaze at him with her just **dead **eyes, blood caking most of her face. She would never make a motion or move other than that to acknowledge his presence. Her trembling hand would always just point to some obscured object on the ground, covered in ashes.

He would never question her well-being or ask her what happened even though he desperately wanted to. He would always just take a few steps towards her and then look down at the object she was pointing to, the tears that were supposed to be cascading down his cheeks strangely absent.

The object was the only thing that ever changed. He never knew why though. One time, it was a melodist's broken staff with fresh blood still running down the sides. Another, it was a pair of familiar glasses, the lenses shattered and the bridge snapped right down the middle. A few days ago, it was a frayed piece of buckskin cloth that looked like it had been haphazardly stitched up way too many time. Earlier, it had taken the form of a smashed, palm-sized fonmachine with its wires still sparking. The most often shape that the object took though, was that of an aged tiara that had most likely been quite a piece of jewelry in its days. Unfortunately, the edges of it were always tainted black by some unknown source other than the soot and its gems had long ago lost their shine. Only the scarce silver linings along its intricate design proved that it was a work of valued craftsmanship.

Luke always knew the symbolism behind the object's appearance. He would be a fool not to.

The staff, Tear; the glasses, Jade; the cloth, Tokunaga which in turn lead to Anise; the fonmachine, Guy; and the tiara…Natalia.

But what the girl always said next was what really disturbed him. The words that fell from her chapped lips after he successfully found whatever form the object had taken were bone-chilling.

**'Enemies are returning. The line between good and evil will blur once more. If you do not take up your key and once again join the fight, the one you hold in your hand will be gone from this world.'**

He would always wake up then. As soon as the very last syllable was comprehended by his mind, the girl would vanish and he would find himself staring at the blankness of his ceiling or a stark wall.

No more information was ever given and the cryptic message was left for him to decode…alone.

He couldn't tell Tear and have her fretting over the wedding and the fact that her soon-to-be husband might either have to go off and fight again or let one of their former teammates perish. They would be married and Tear would tag along with him anyways, putting herself in immediate danger.

What he couldn't figure out, was why the tiara appeared the most. If someone wanted to hurt him emotionally, wouldn't they go after Guy or Tear rather than Kimlasca's heavily-guarded Princess? It just didn't make sense to the swordsman.

Was he seeing the dream from Asch's point-of-view? That would explain the tiara appearing most often but then…what would the other items mean? Asch would have never cared if Tear, Jade, or Anise died (maybe Guy but the two seemed to have harbored an extreme dislike for one another) so then what did the other items represent? It might be possible that it was a combined dream of his and Asch's memories after the big fuse… But then wouldn't the staff and tiara appear just as frequently?

"Master, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to…" Mieu reassured, snapping the redhead back to reality as he saw the confusion and stress building up on his features, "I'm sure they'll go away in a day or so. You're probably just nervous about the wedding!"

"Yeah…just nerves," the whispered, eyes still out of focus because of the girl's image flashing through his mind. With a shake of his head though, the picture dispersed and was once again sent to the back of his mind, waiting to be dealt with at a later time.

After the wedding was over and everything settled down, that was when he would tell Tear and Mieu. After the wedding…and not until then.

Seeing his Master's disturbed expression, Mieu carefully bounced over to one end of the desk, picked up another clean piece of paper, and laid it out before the redhead with focused patience. "Why don't you try writing Jade's invitation, Master?"

"Already got it done," Luke sighed, whipping from one of his pockets a small postcard.

Because both Luke and Tear wanted to write the important invites, they had decided to split the people into two groups. Tear had already taken care of Noelle, Anise, and Florian while Luke was assigned to, and still working on, Jade, Guy, and Emperor Peony.

"What does it say, Master?" the eager cheagle questioned, hopping up and down in an attempt to read the card.

"Dear Jade," the noble recited with a bored expression, "Tear and I are getting married in two weeks. Come to Baticul. You'll be staying at the manor along with the rest of the crew. …Try not to be too giddy. Sincerely, Luke."

Mieu immediately stopped his bouncing. "Oh… Well what about Emperor Peony's, Master?"

"Same as Jade's, only I changed 'Dear Jade,' to 'Hey Emperor Peony,' and 'Sincerely, Luke' to 'Sincerely, Luke (the non-rappig Luke).'"

"Oh…" Eyes scanning the area, Mieu tried fruitlessly again to find something to keep his Master's mind off of his haunting nightmares. "I know! We could raid the kitchen, Master! Like that one time that maid baked chocolate cake!"

Luke let out a soft chuckle at the fond memory.

Mieu, at the time, had never even heard of the delicious treat called chocolate so when the swordsman had found out about the freshly baked cake among dozens meant for a party the King was throwing, he had convinced the cheagle to go down with him and taste test it. Long story short, Mieu had been in love with chocolate ever since and the chief who had baked it was extremely anger at the tiny cheagle prints decorating the missing side.

"I don't think we can this time," Luke snickered, resting his head on his folded up arms, "unless we want Tear mad at us about eating half the wedding cake or something."

"Mieuu…" As if set on a timer, Mieu's ears automatically went downwards at the disappointing thought of the unobtainable chocolate. "Well…what do you wanna do then, Master?" He had to stay 

positive, no matter what. Current Mission: Keep Master from dwelling on scary nightmares. Must accomplish by any means necessary.

Turning his emerald gaze back on the new, blank paper, the redhead once again picked up his quill. "I'll stay here and work on Guy's letter. You go back and make sure Tear doesn't wake up."

"But Master…."

"Hey, that's an order," he concluded, pointing the feathery point of his quill at the pet. Seeing that Mieu still won't budge from his post on an empty ink bottle, Luke rolled his eyes. "**If **Tear's awake, she'll be awfully lonely and need somebody to talk to. Your job is to keep her company until I get back and only if she's awake, got it?"

"Yes, Master!" cheered the little cheagle, already halfway down the small steps made for him and bumbling towards the door, completely oblivious to the meaning laid underneath the words. "Don't worry I'll be the best company ever, Master! You'll see!"

"Only talk to her if she's awake though!" he warned, not wanting the cheagle to disturb his soon-to-be wife from what precious hours of sleep she could manage. Mieu had a habit of misinterpret things.

"You got it, Master!" Mieu chirped, pushing the flap of the newly installed cheagle door, located to the right side of the doorway, up so he could successfully walk into the hallway without having to push open a heavy door. "Just you wait, Master!"

Mission: Keep Master from dwelling on scary nightmares; aborted. New Mission: Do not let Tear get lonely! Direct orders from Master!

The last thing Luke saw of the tiny creature was his puffy ears squeezing themselves through the small hole accompanied by the scrambling of paws against the slick wood floors as he yet again tried to regain his footing in his excitement. The surprised, miniature squeals proved that at least.

Sighing to himself, Luke refocused on the task at hand.

…Writing a wedding invitation to Guy. Should he call him Guy or Gailardia? Guy definitely. Normal letter greeting or plunge right into it? Formal or informal? Joke about free will being gone or serious? Mention purple tinted diamond ring or leave it out? Loopy 'l's or unloopy?

"Ugh, now I know how Tear feels," the redhead grumbled, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. When you're debating over whether to loop your 'l's or not, it's time for a break.

Just as he set the quill carefully in the ink well, **it** happened.

**It **was not a subject that Luke liked to discuss nor did it go unnoticed by anyone. Rumors were flying around about his frequent "black outs," as staff called **them**, and **them** becoming more frequent did not help settle down the hushed murmurs.

**It **always came on randomly but with the same warnings. First, his eyesight would blur much like it was doing now with his scrawled handwriting. Next, a sharp jolt pain that only lasted a second would jab at the back of his head, as if seeking entrance to his well-kept memories. Then, his whole body would start to tremble to a degree that he thought he was having a seizure. Afterwards, his breathing would become ragged; cutting off most of the oxygen he needed to calm himself down.

He lost sense of the real world, knowing only the provocative pain trying to find a way in his closed mind. Grabbing his head, he grunted. "Y-You're….NOT….g-g-getting……IN!"

Immediately, the pain drew back, as if startled by his outburst. Sadly, the moment of calmness did not last, as the pain was persistent. The noble could have almost sworn he could feel a ghostly hand reaching into the back of his head; the trembling of his body preventing him from glancing over his shoulder.

_"Oh I'm not looking for a way __**in**_," rang a seductive voice through his head as he collapsed to the side of the chair in agony. Whatever the person had wanted, she had seemingly found it was trying to rip it out of his memory.

Never during all of his short headaches and black outs afterwards, had he heard a voice or had there been pain to this magnitude.

Why wasn't he blacking out like he usually did?

Why did it seem like the person was so close yet so far away, unable to be harmed?

But nobody was in the study except for himself and the blue head of a familiar cheagle peeking through open flap, no doubt alerted by his Master's shouting.

"…M-Master?" Mieu stuttered, tentatively taking a few steps towards the man bent over and wringing his hair in sheer pain. Was he having another one of his episodes? He had been blacking out unpredictably at times but he had assumed it was from the lack of sleep. Did someone come it and hurt him while Mieu was out galloping down the halls? No, no one would dare take the renowned hero on and he certainly wouldn't be in this much pain over a paper cut…although they did hurt.

Something else was going on. Something else Mieu couldn't see or help with.

_"I'm looking for a way __**out,"**_concluded the eerie female voice, keeping his attention from the concerned creature.

Before he even had the chance to utter a single word, something inside the male just…snapped for lack of a better word.

He felt his whole body go numb, much like it use to whenever he was struck with a paralyze spell. Everything seemed to be spinning; the room, the crumbled up letters, and even his own hands that were now suspended in front of him, shaking. The familiar, fuzzy sensation that usually presented itself just before he blacked out slowly crept along his spine and settled itself right at the back of his mind, waiting to consume him in a matter of seconds.

The last things Luke was aware of before he collapsed to the cold, hard, unforgiving floor, and predictably fainted, were the manically laughter of the "ghost" and a series of girlish shrieks that soon turned into "MASTER! MASTER FAINTED!! MASTER FAINTED!!"

The blurred images of a blue blob frantically trying to get out via flap but only managing to run into it shortly came into a distorted illustration to the redhead, constantly being blot out by blackness of his eye lids.

"…S-Sh...u-t…u..u..p," one last gasp of breath, "T-Th-th..i…in..-g-g."

Blacked out.

XxxxxxxX

_Meanwhile in the Abandoned Factory…_

"Why me?" Natalia whimpered pitifully, clutching her stomach and cursing at the half-eaten remains of bread she had decided on eating for breakfast. Unfortunately for her, the bread had not settled well with her sensitive stomach and had ended up in a heap at the bottom area under the overhang she was currently resting on.

Having already changed into her archer attire and discarded her maid outfit over the edge, her pack was considerably lighter, allowing her more room for the spoils from the monsters she had slain with her arrows. Delicately, she fingered her remaining bundles of arrows.

Only thirty left… At this rate, she would have to make a pit stop at the Oasis and sell most of her useless supplies in exchange for good supply of arrows. A pity really…she was planning on not having to use her emergency money to buy a ticket for the ferry and instead finding a foolish merchant that would pay her handsomely for the small bunch of random herbs she had brought along. She couldn't sell any of her gels or anything like that for she only brought the minimum amount for fear of over-packing.

Her plan was entirely simple. Get the ferry at Chesedonia to take her to the nearest port that was open and from there she would find her way to Sheridan. If matters on the sea were going bad, then she would stay at Engeve or Saint Binah for a while. Those places were usually not densely populated and as long as she kept a low profile no one would notice. From Sheridan she would head as quickly as possible to Nam Cobanda Isle and reside there for the time being. No one except Luke, Guy, Tear, Jade, and Anise knew Nam Cobanda existed so she should be safe there, at least from the Oracle Knights that Father would surely dispatch in a search party. Nobody was sure to recognize her there because they were all people who were victims of Hod and places like that. Surely they couldn't distinguish her face among the tons of victims there.

Rising up from her kneeled over position, the blonde felt her stomach churn with the sudden movement, upsetting her once again. It had been hard enough to hide her sickness in the mornings while she was staying at the palace but now with no relief, she felt ten times worse. The constant battles didn't help either.

Once again folding her arms over her stomach, Natalia let her face scrunch up in distaste, thinking that the rest of the contents in her stomach were about to be deposited. Taking deep breaths, her stomach gradually settled and the girl once again collapsed to her dirtied, white-clad knees.

The Princess had underestimated the monsters around here and being by herself with only a bow and limited arrows did help the situation. It had taken her almost an hour to get at least halfway through the factory's labyrinths and no doubt some of the guards back at the palace would be waking up soon. If she wanted to escape without suspicion, she would have to make it at least to the mountainside by noon and at the rate she was going, her goals were far from her reach.

Usually, the archer would've taken a ferry or gone out the main entrance to escape Baticul, but there were guards there. Guards that knew her face. Even with the drug she put in the wine at Tear and Luke's rehearsal dinner, having all the servants and guards there to test the food made it just the sort of event she needed, it would only be a short while before the guards switched and her disappearance became known. And it wasn't guaranteed that the guards and the entrance had any wine. Natalia couldn't risk the odds.

Placing the half-eaten bread into its handkerchief that she had used for it before, the Princess folded it up and put it back in the sack, pulling the strings around the opening of the pack tight and slinging on her back again along with her arrows. Though her stomach did still growl with hunger, Natalia refused to eat anything for fear of wasting it.

A longing sigh escaped her lips as she picked up her elven bow and strung an arrow for any surprise encounters. Stepping lightly over the corpse of a bat she continued on her route.

Why did she have to go through this? She had never asked to be in such a position but somehow it had ended up that way. She was forced to leave her home, her people, heck, even her soon-to-be married companions. She would never get to see the grand wedding bells chiming as Tear walked down the aisle in her lovely white dress or be present at the group reunion when the all got together one week before the wedding to reminisce about the past the dream about the future.

Nor would she finally get that dance that Guy had promised her a year ago.

The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a bright smile at the memory.

A year ago, Jade had finally decided to move up to General and of course, a ceremony was required for such an event. Anise had alerted them all about (how she had found out, no one knew) and contacted Noelle to pick them all up on said day and head to Grand Chokmah to surprise their old friend. During the ceremony, an elegant dance was held and everyone had paired off. Tear and Luke, slowing dancing in the middle of the dance floor; Anise and Florian, raiding the buffet table; Noelle catching the eye of smartly dressed gentleman and had been really hitting it off; Jade, Peony, and Nephry telling inside jokes about their childhood…

That had left Guy with an extremely bored Natalia. In truth, she had wanted to dance but no one would approach either out of intimidation or the fact that all the available men within her age range had come with dates. So, when a little birdie (more like a little rappig with a Emperor trying hid behind him/her) had tipped her off that Guy had been taking ballroom dance lessons as part of his training to be a noble, the Princess had jumped at the opportunity,

…The whole had lasted only two seconds. It seemed Guy hadn't yet gotten over his phobia to the extreme of dancing with a girl, leaving Natalia quite upset. She had understood why and had known that the blonde hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but it still hurt that he couldn't really feel comfortable around her. They had been on a year long journey together, that had to mean something.

Upon seeing her disappointment, Guy, being Guy, had promised, no, sworn to her that he would dance with her at Luke and Tear's wedding (for they knew they were to get married at some point and time). He would work on his phobia until the wedding, and then make sure that he was the first one that got to dance with the "lovely Princess", as he put it.

Needless to say, Natalia had been thrilled and looking forward to the day,

…But that was all shattered now. Instead of him sharing a dance with her, he would probably be twirling around with Noelle or maybe even Tear while Luke was complaining about his lost freedom. She would be pushed out the picture and everyone's minds until she was a forgotten memory…

…Just like Asch.

A loud squawk from above brought the future Queen out of her depressing thoughts when she whirled around on the back of her heels and let her arrow expertly slice through the air towards the diving bat. The arrow struck true the monster was sent spiraling down the endless chasm beneath him.

With an elegant flourish she tucked her now-shoulder length hair behind her ear and turned back to the task at hand.

_Must not think about the past… Must not think about the past… Must not think about the past… Must not think about the past… _She would not let herself travel down that path of despair. What's done was done and there was nothing she could do. This was her decision and it was final.

_Get to Chesedonia, that's my only goal. Get to Chesedonia and get off of this continent. _

Strumming another arrow from her quiver, the Princess narrowed her eyes and rushed forward, leaving all thoughts in her wake.

When did things go so horribly wrong?

XxxxxxxX

"She's still going through the factory?"

"Mhmm."

"How long has it been? An hour?"

"Mhmm."

"And she's only halfway through?"

"Mhmm."

"Damn, she's slow."

"Hey!" retorted an angered female voice from among the many rafters of the factory, "It's not her fault. She's just going through a tough time right now. Show some sympathy!"

"Tch," replied an equally annoyed male, arms crossed over her chest as he left his legs dangle over the edge of the platform. "You gotten softer since your were reborn."

The female twirled away from her companion, the edge of her black dress getting caught in the dawn light as she paced the area, arms hugging a raggedy looking doll. "I can't help it. I've found out the truth and I've been given a second chance. I'm not going to waste it this time." She turned to look at the patch of green hair belonging to the male. "You shouldn't either."

The male scoffed, leaping up from his position and bending down on one knee to get a better view. "What have I got to live for anyways? I don't even know why Nebilim brought us back if she's only needs us to watch this stupid Princess. A snail could do our job no problem."

"We're supposed to keep tabs on her and make sure the others don't find her," the female reprimanded. "A snail couldn't do that."

"Yeah, yeah. ….She's on the move again."

In less than a second, the male had leapt from their current rafter to the next one with extreme ease and a skillful leap. The female awkwardly followed him, stumbling slightly as she jumped over the gap. "Aren't you the least bit happy about being alive again?"

"No."

"But once we complete our task for Nebilim, we can do whatever we want with our lives. Won't that be great?" she questioned, unwilling to give up.

"Humph, yeah. Real great," he answered sarcastically "The world's already branded us as dead traitors thanks to their "heroes". Face it; we don't have a place in this world anymore. We never did."

"You don't know that-!"

"We never had a place in this world to begin with!" the male suddenly snapped, startling the female. "We were all outcasts that blindly followed Van and look how well that turned out!"

"Van was different! He was just using-!"

"Van's the same as everyone else on this God-forsaken planet! Nobody can expect those that are different and therefore don't give them a place! Once Nebilim's done with us, she'll probably kill us all anyways! It would be for the best!"

Silence enveloped the two. The female, having no comeback and the male with no words left to express, just raw anger.

"Come on," he suddenly said, making the female look up from her downcast gaze and breaking the uncomfortable tension. "The Princess is getting out of our sight. Let's just accomplish our job and get back to Mt. Roneal."

Without another word or glance to see if the girl was following, he began proficiently flipping from one platform to the other, never once glancing back. The female could do nothing put watch as the tails of his coat finally disappeared from her gaze.

Clutching the place where her heart was, the female looked up at the pale sky through one of the many cracks in the ceiling. A hint of moonlight shimmered through and landed on her heart-shaped face. "Ion…is there really a place for us down here?" she murmured, clutching her doll with one hand.

Receiving no answer except the familiar whispers of the wind and enemies surrounding them, the female could do nothing but let out a disheartened sigh and slowly began following her comrade, her hope level set down a few notches.

**A/N: I know, I know. Many of you probably know who the two villians at the end were. But keep it to yourself! Be happy I gave you a hint on what's wrong with Natalia. If any of you know, or think you know, you can PM me and ask if your guess is right. I will confirm or not confirm it but I won't give away the answer. And please don't leave it a review, leave people to wonder...**

**The Luke part I did horribly on. I just couldn't find a way to describe what happened at the end. I hope that it makes sense. I promise that I'll do better explaining it next chapter (which won't be for a while) with Tear's part. I hope you all can wait until then!**

**Thank you for reading and have great day! Review if possible! And if you don't or can't...then envy the people that have the mint ice cream...or just ignore me. Whichever one works. **

**Next work: Chapter 2 (which is really chapter 1) of a Pirate's Life for Me**


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